Tag Archives: MobileOs

WSJ: HTC working on China-specific mobile OS

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Cracking the Chinese mobile-nut is kind of a big deal if you're in the business of selling phones. So, rumors that HTC could be looking to increase the bottom line with a China-specific mobile OS won't see too many eyebrows heading north. The Wall Street Journal claims that Cher Wang herself is closely overseeing the project and is working directly with the state authorities to see it meets approval. This might suggest that the operating system would be entirely bespoke, rather than an Android fork, which would also provide HTC with a plan B, similar to Samsung's efforts with Tizen. The OS is believed to be tightly integrated with China specific services (Weibo etc) and could see the light of day before the end of the year. So is it actually Hello To China?

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Source: The Wall Street Journal

Mozilla unveils Firefox OS Simulator 3.0 with Push to Device, rotation simulation

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DNP Mozilla unveils Firefox OS Simulator 30 with Push to Device, rotation simulation

Mozilla launched its first Firefox OS Simulator late last year, letting developers test out apps on the new platform even though the software was still very much in development. It only makes sense, then, that a new version would surface following the mobile operating system's official unveiling at Mobile World Congress 2013. Like versions 1.0 and 2.0, Firefox OS Simulator 3.0 runs as an extension in Mozilla's browser and is available on Linux, Windows and OS X. The new preview adds several features, including Push to Device, which brings over apps installed on the OS Simulator to a Firefox OS device provided it's connected via USB. Rotation simulation and an updated version of the software's Gaia interface are also on board. To give the Simulator a go, head to Mozilla's FTP server, where you'll find it under the working name r2d2b2g. Click through to source links for the full installation directions.

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Via: CNET

Source: Hacks.Mozilla.org, Mozilla FTP Server

Chinese ministry says Google ‘controls too much’ of its smartphone market

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Chinese ministry says Google 'controls too much' of its smartphone market

China and Google just can't seem to get along. The country's ministry is the latest to take issue with el Goog, stating that it has too much control within the smartphone industry because of its Android OS and is discriminating against local rivals. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced this in its recent white paper, adding that the country had the ability to craft its own mobile OS if it wanted to. According to the document: "While the Android system is open source, the core technology and technology roadmap is strictly controlled by Google." It goes on to describe how the Mountain View crew had apparently delayed sharing source code with Chinese companies developing their own operating systems. The paper also took the opportunity to praise homegrown stars like Baidu, Alibaba and Huawei for their own systems. In short, it looks like an amicable relationship is still a while off.

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Source: Reuters, Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

Bada to be retired, will see its best features absorbed by Tizen

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Bada to be retired, will see its best features absorbed by Tizen

It's been over a year since rumors and statements suggested Samsung's Bada OS was due to be terminated, but that some form of it would live on within the open-source Tizen OS. Now, Samsung exec Won-Pyo Hong has confirmed as such with Korean news agency Yonhap. Rather than a complete fusion of the two, Tizen will select only the best qualities of the featurephone-friendly Bada for assimilation. Samsung's Tizen 2.0-based handsets arriving in 2013 will put the final nail in Bada's coffin, but out of respect for its fallen comrade, Tizen will obligingly run apps designed for the retired OS. Like some kind of mobile software Highlander, Tizen is now drawing power from several perished peers, and has even set its sights on the mighty Android. There can be only one.

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Via: The Verge

Source: Yonhap

Windows Phone 7.8 hands-on: cosmetically yours

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Windows Phone 78 handson cosmetically yours

There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth when Microsoft declared that fairly fresh (and costly) Windows Phone 7 devices like the Nokia Lumia 900 would never taste its latest WP8 wares. To assuage hurt feelings and keep legacy phone owners within throwing distance of the latest devices like the Nokia Lumia 920 or HTC's 8X, Redmond introduced Windows Phone 7.8 (version 7.10.8858), which started arriving via Zune on January 31st. It was likely hoping that the upgrade would tide legacy owners over until their contracts expired or boredom set in, at which point they'd get a new device packing WP8 -- including not-too-costly models like the $249 (contract-free) Lumia 620. So the question is, will the 7.8 bone thrown at WP7 handset owners prevent them from looking at the greener Android or iOS grass across the fence? We've got a Lumia 610 here that was otherwise collecting dust, so head after the break to find out our thoughts.

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Jolla won’t officially support Sailfish on the Nokia N9, suggests the community tries it anyway

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Jolla won't officially support Sailfish on the Nokia N9, suggests the community does

Nokia N9 champions may be looking hopefully at Sailfish to revive their beloved MeeGo, but Jolla has reigned in those expectations by saying it won't be officially supporting the device. Although the company won't be responsible for updates or providing technical help, it claims there's nothing but a voided warranty stopping the community from porting Sailfish to the abandoned handset. So, N9 owners, it's up to you -- if you want the MeeGo-based OS on your phone, you'll need to do a bit of work for it.

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Source: Jolla (Twitter)

Jolla’s Sailfish OS promises multitasking, personalization and ‘effortless interaction’ (updated)

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Jolla's Sailfish OS promises multitasking, personalization and 'effortless interaction' (updated)

The date we were promised an introduction to Sailfish is here, and it turns out Jolla's not just targeting smartphones with its MeeGo-based OS, but tablets, smart TVs and other devices, too. Jolla has kept its OS under wraps until now, but it wants Sailfish to be an open-source affair which "will be built through community involvement and participation." The SDK will be available soon, and we should get a look at the UI during a presentation occurring shortly. We're assured superb multitasking capabilities, as well as deep personalization and "fast and effortless interaction." Jolla has said Sailfish will be available for use with "multiple chipset technologies," and is already supported on ST-Ericsson's NovaThor platforms. It's also reported that it's partnering with Finnish carrier DNA to promote and sell Sailfish smartphones on home turf. The full reveal is coming shortly, so we'll let you know more as soon as we do.

Update: The Jolla team took to the stage with touchscreen hardware in hand (we also spotted a Raspberry Pi), keen to express how they've been working all hours to boot Sailfish on anything they can find. The company called its creation the first truly "open ecosystem," and said that development will be fully transparent from the outset. While there will be Jolla-branded phones launching, Sailfish is also being offered to handset manufacturers to use on their own hardware. The UI tour wasn't as in depth as we'd have liked, but "true multitasking" was the main focus. Active programs can be pinned to the homescreen as tiles (in a layout that looks something like BlackBerry 10), which offer some control of the app without it hogging the screen. They also showed off a feature called "Ambiance," which uses colors from a picture you select to tint the UI. We wish we had more info to share, but right now, we're all just left wanting more.

Continue reading Jolla's Sailfish OS promises multitasking, personalization and 'effortless interaction' (updated)

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Source: DNA

Windows Phone 8 review

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Windows Phone 8 review

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Two years ago, the mobile landscape was quite different than what it is today. Android flagship phones sported 1GHz single-core CPUs and were in the process of upgrading to Froyo, the iPhone 4 was the Apple phone of choice and the word "phablet" was sure to be followed by a "Gesundheit." (It still is, arguably.) This is just a brief glimpse at the world in which Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 was born. Destined to be the replacement solution for an obsolete Windows Mobile 6.x platform, WP7 did its best to disrupt the industry by offering its unique Metro user interface and slick performance across the board.

There was one growing problem, however; the mobile industry was rapidly changing, and the Windows Phone honeymoon didn't last as long as Microsoft would've liked. Today, the company enjoys less than 5 percent of the world's smartphone market share as it prepares to launch its next major revision, Windows Phone 8. The new firmware promises to resolve concerns surrounding hardware limitations and the platform's ecosystem, add a plethora of long-awaited features and integrate the OS with Windows 8. It's a hefty task for Microsoft to undertake, to say the least, but we're hoping that two revolutions around the sun were enough for the software giant to impress us with its struggling mobile platform. Did it pull it off? Take a look at what makes Windows Phone 8 tick after the break.

Continue reading Windows Phone 8 review

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Windows Phone 8 review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei’s building its own mobile operating system ‘just in case’ there’s trouble ahead

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Huaweis firsthalf 2012 financials

Huawei's boss must have been a Boy Scout, since he's taken its "be prepared' motto deeply to his heart. CEO Wan Biao has told Reuters that his company is working on its own mobile OS just in case its partners "won't let us use their system[s] one day." We don't expect to ever see the software, but given the fractious nature of the business, it's more likely to be a barbed hint at Google and Microsoft to keep sending flowers and chocolates to Shenzhen. That said, given that local rival ZTE is building phones with Firefox's OS, we'd politely suggest that it rescues another beloved OS from the clutches of HP's indifference.

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Huawei's building its own mobile operating system 'just in case' there's trouble ahead originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 07:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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